Pictures From Paris

When Brian and I booked our anniversary trip to Paris a few months ago, I fully expected to go there and fall in love with the city and the culture and the romanticism of it all. And I definitely planned to go for runs along the Seine.

Instead — bummer alert — I spent four days in Paris feeling mostly stressed and uncomfortable.

BUT ALWAYS HAPPY TO POSE FOR PICTURES!
BUT ALWAYS HAPPY TO POSE FOR PICTURES!

This, of course, has nothing to do with the city itself. I think that under different, Crohn’s-free circumstances, I absolutely would have fallen in love with the city and the culture and that aforementioned romanticism. But unfortunately, my health got the best of me, and I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the trip the way I wanted. (I didn’t even end up packing my running stuff.)

I’m not here to be a total downer, though: Despite the fact that I spent more time looking for bathrooms than looking at monuments and architecture, coupled with the fact that I was in the bathroom pretty constantly during our adventures, Brian and I were able to get out and be total tourists. I ate incredible cheese (seriously, the best cheese of my life), gawked under a glittering Eiffel Tower, and drank delicious wine and champagne.

CLASSIC TOURIST.
CLASSIC TOURIST.

Here’s a little look at the highlights from our trip.

Monday: Our first wedding anniversary! We arrived at Charles de Gaulle at 1 PM local time and headed to our hotel. The hotel was lovely, and was in a neighborhood-y area within walking distance to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.

The prettiest hotel ever.
The prettiest hotel ever.

We got lunch at the hotel bar — the Croque Monsieur was my favorite lunch of the trip — and then accidentally took a several-hours-long nap, missing our dinner reservation. Oops.

Just hanging out with this guy!
Just hanging out with this guy!

In the evening — when we finally woke up — we walked to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees, got dinner (the best steak frites I’ve ever had), and then walked to see the Eiffel Tower.

I wanted to run around it really fast pretending to be one of the Tour de France cyclists, but instead I just stood there and smiled.
I wanted to run around the Arc de Triomphe really fast pretending to be one of the Tour de France cyclists, but instead I just stood there and smiled.
DELICIOUS FRITES.
DELICIOUS FRITES.
PROFITEROLES!!!
PROFITEROLES!!!
TOTALLY PLAYING IT COOL.
TOTALLY PLAYING IT COOL.
I liked when it sparkled!
I liked when it sparkled!

Tuesday: Woke up at noon. Oops. The jet lag hit us hard on this trip — each night we were up until 3 AM, unable to sleep, and would then sleep in way too late each morning. YOLO.

Breakfast in the room. At 1 PM.
Breakfast in the room. At 1 PM.

We ordered breakfast to the room while we got ready for the day then headed to the Musee d’Orsay. I wanted to see all the Degas paintings that wallpapered my childhood bedroom, as well as the Little Dancer sculpture. I cried when I saw all that, which was weird and unexpected. Crohn’s hormones? IDK. I loved all the Degas stuff, and of course the other classics like the Monets and the Van Goghs and also the bathrooms.

My childhood favorite!
My childhood favorite!

Little Dancer and Life-Sized [Former] Dancer!
Little Dancer and Life-Sized [Former] Dancer!
From there, we headed to Notre Dame, walked through the cathedral (during mass! very cool), and then got a late lunch/early dinner at a cool bar nearby. I ate so much cheese. It was so good. (Spoiler alert: I was constipated by the last day of the trip. Fromage fail.)

Notre Dame!
Notre Dame! And me.
Mass. In French!
Mass. In French!
My hunchback at Notre Dame.
My hunchback at Notre Dame.
Brian is nice, but I would marry a wedge of Brie if I could.
Brian is nice, but I would marry a wedge of Brie if I could.

Finally, we took a boat cruise along the Seine, which was a fun way to see the city. I prefer to sightsee and see things during the day, but Brian likes seeing everything all lit up at night. So he was all, “Wow, those buildings look so nice glowing like that!” and I was all, “How can you even see anything?

Happy because there were bathrooms on board!
Happy because there were bathrooms on board!
My hair kind of matched the Eif!
My hair kind of matched the Eif!

Last stop: crepes by the Eiffel Tower. Duh.

I regretted adding bananas to my Nutella crepe. Too much banana.
I regretted adding bananas to my Nutella crepe. Too much banana.

Wednesday: Woke up at 8 AM, with a little help from an alarm clock. Good job, Cristianos! You did it!

My primary request for this trip was to eat fresh chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat) for breakfast every morning. So we started this day with a visit to the boulangerie near our hotel, where I, as intended, inhaled [maybe more than] one warm chocolate croissant. It was heavenly.

Just a simple breakfast for one...
Just a simple breakfast for one…

Then we spent the day at Versailles! I am so happy we did this. Versailles is a bit removed from the center of Paris — and most visitors coming from Paris take a train there, but we took an Uber because help me, I have Crohn’s and need to be able to pull over at a moment’s notice — but it’s definitely worth the trip. We did a self-guided audio tour of the Chateau, and then headed out to the gardens.

I WASN'T ON MY PHONE. This is how you listen to the audio tour. And this is me in the Hall of Mirrors. I want a Hall of Mirrors.
I WASN’T ON MY PHONE. This is how you listen to the audio tour. And this is me in the Hall of Mirrors. I want a Hall of Mirrors.
So many mirrors and sparkly chandeliers!
So many mirrors and sparkly chandeliers!
This is a nice view, I guess.
This is a nice view, I guess.

I wanted to rent a golf cart to explore the gardens (walking is hard for me right now, wahhhh poor Ali), but obviously Brian thought getting bikes would be more fun. Brian was right. This was my favorite part of the entire trip. We rode around to see as much as we could, and it felt so carefree and pleasant. I could’ve stayed there riding around all day. (That was also the most relaxed I felt the entire trip! Maybe I need to do more casual bike riding around fancy gardens?)

Probably going to install a replica of this in my future home someday. Seems reasonable enough.
Probably going to install a replica of this in my future home someday. Seems reasonable enough.
Jumping for joy because I love the gardens!
Jumping for joy because I love the gardens!
Marie Antoinette's house. What a dump.
Marie Antoinette’s house. What a dump.
More gardens. More poses.
More gardens. More poses.
Just a casual backyard.
Just a casual backyard.

Eventually we headed back into Paris, got a late lunch/early dinner, and then went to the Moulin Rouge!

SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR!
SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR!

I have always loved the movie Moulin Rouge! I have the movie poster framed in my office, and have always been obsessed with the soundtrack, the dancing, all of it. So of course I wanted to see the actual Moulin Rouge. But we didn’t just see it — we went to the nightly revue show, too! The show was insane. The choreography and dancing were pretty rough, and it was all super cheesy and silly, but we had a great time. (Though I could’ve done without the part where the girl dove into an actual snake-filled tank in the middle of the stage. Did not like.) So I guess if you still can’t get tickets to Hamilton, go see Feerie at the Moulin Rouge instead. Same same.

Come what maaaaaay. I will love youuuuu until my dyyyyying daaaaaaaay. Great song. Wasn't part of "Feerie."
Come what maaaaaay. I will love youuuuu until my dyyyyying daaaaaaaay. Great song. Wasn’t part of “Feerie.”

We ended the night with a drink — and a cheese plate, leave me alone — back at the hotel bar. Good day.

Thursday: Slept until 10 AM. Ugh. Those lazy Cristiano kids!

We hit up the same boulangerie for breakfast/multiple croissants, then visited the Louvre.

BEING TOURISTS. Again.
BEING TOURISTS. Again.
THE LOUVRE IS HUGE.
THE LOUVRE IS HUGE.

We saw the famous stuff — the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo — and spent hours wandering the floors. There are more than 70,000 pieces of art inside the Louvre — quite the collection!

How YOU doin?
How YOU doin?
It is my belief that the Mona Lisa has to live in a glass cage so she doesn't get hit by all the selfie sticks flailing around.
It is my belief that the Mona Lisa has to live in a glass cage so she doesn’t get hit by all the selfie sticks flailing around.
TELL ME THIS ISN'T WILL FERRELL...
TELL ME THIS ISN’T WILL FERRELL…
Everyone was standing on these boxes, so I did it, too.
Everyone was standing on these boxes, so I did it, too.

Next, we went to the top of the Montparnasse Tower — the tallest building in Paris — to see the city from a different vantage point. I loved doing this. I didn’t really have a desire to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower because I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. (Just like how I always think it’s crazy that people in NYC want to go to the top of the Empire State Building — no no, people, go to the Top of the Rock so you can gawk at the Emp!) By going to the top of the Montparnasse Tower, we could see everything: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Luxembourg Gardens, Sacre Coeur, all the tents set up for Fashion Week, etc. (And there were bathrooms up there, so…bonus.)

Typical...
Brian took this pic of me. 
...and Brian's version.
…and then I arranged this one for him. NAILED IT!
The Luxembourg Gardens!
The Luxembourg Gardens!
Notre Dame on the right, the Louvre in the middle, and Sacre Coeur in the back.
Notre Dame on the right, the Louvre in the middle, and Sacre Coeur in the back.
EIF!
EIF!

Then, Brian wanted to go check out the Catacombs, and I had nooooo desire to do that, so while he explored the underground tunnels made out of actual human remains, I set up shop at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed some champagne and a Nutella crepe. I was so happy.

#fashionblogger
#fashionblogger

When Brian was done, we walked to a restaurant nearby for our last dinner, where I thought I ordered shrimp cocktail but I actually ordered eight giant, whole prawns with googly eyes staring back at me. My bad. (Turns out, all those French lessons I did on Duolingo weren’t totally helpful. I knew words like le chat and pommes, but being able to talk about a cat and an apple came in handy exactly zero times.)

SURPRISE!
SURPRISE!

Friday: Up at 8, hotel breakfast buffet at 9, then to the airport at 11. Au revoir, Paris!

My biggest and most sincere MERCI BEAUCOUP to my internet friend Cathryn, who so kindly sent me an “everything you need to know about the bathrooms in Paris” email before the trip. That information was priceless. (Seriously, do French people just not poop? Is that just an American thing, because we are “disgusting?”)

Hopefully someday I’ll make my way back to Paris so I can spend more time aimlessly walking around the city, eating all that good fromage and drinking more of the fantastic wine and champagne — without worrying about the location of the nearest bathroom. But until then, I’m glad I was able to experience a touch of what the City of Lights has to offer!

DOES THIS LOOK REAL TO YOU? It is.
DOES THIS LOOK REAL TO YOU? It is.

Happy First Year of Marriage, Brian! Here’s to a million more.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO PARIS?! What did you love? What’s your favorite kind of cheese? (I love Brie and Manchego.)

Ali

Ali

26 Responses

  1. Oh girl, I love your blog. Been reading on here for a while and suffering with you. I know, it’s none of my business and I probably shouldn’t comment on it. But somehow I ask myself, if maybe a little change of your diet could help. I see tons of sugar and think… You are sick and then you eat all that crap? Even without Crohns I would have issues digesting. Please don’t be mad at me. I really hope you get better soon.

    1. Haha I’m not mad at you — and sugar definitely does not help when I’m flaring. I generally eat too much sugar (ugh, ice cream, I love you so much) and have tried to cut back recently (with success, yay!), and have especially cut out the extra sugar since I started feeling sick. I let myself enjoy plenty of champagne while we were in Paris, but since we got back, I’ve been back to “normal.”

  2. loved this recap and it makes me miss Paris SO MUCH! bummer that you didn’t feel well but you were clearly such a trooper to do so much and stay so active. i stayed in a flat near the Moulin Rouge but never went to a show. loved the Notre Dame, the strawberry crepes (fraise??), the architecture, the wine…and i also went to the Montparnasse Tower my last night there and saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up and the city looking magical stretching out below. so lovely. obsessed with Paris. ps love the leather skirt!

  3. The cutest blog ever, although I am probably too old to be reading it (about 60!)…but I love Paris and you wrote about Paris with the love and excitement that I feel about it every time I go! I took my niece there when she was 13, and I think I actually instilled in her the same excitement, and I am going to send her this blog! But the next time you want to learn French that you can actually use, buy the Michel Thomas CD’s from Amazon (I’m not sure if they’re available digitally yet, but you can always download them to your computer). We listened to them, and when we got to France, we never spoke a word of English except to each other. Try them!! 🙂

  4. MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF THE DAY – Where did you get that gray dress – scratch that – all outfits worn in Paris. Love it all

  5. you are my hero. i’ve tried several vacations while in or almost in flare (always turned into a flare during the vaca), and I can’t believe how much you were still able to go out and see and explore! I know it must have been so tough and discouraging. I get so upset when I can do things but not the way “i want to”<-that sounds like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum, but I think you'll understand the feeling. The fact that you still tried to enjoy yourself is incredible and you deserve so much credit for going on the trip and getting out of the hotel. I'm not so sure I would have been able to. I hope now that you're back home and settled, things can calm down a bit for you and your body stops fighting you! Lots of positive vibes sent your way, I hope this flare is over soon!

  6. Happy Anniversary to you both! What a trip! Your pictures are gorgeous. I’m sorry you were uncomfortable the majority of the time, but it looks like you still enjoyed the vacation together. I love all cheese except for swiss.. that’s weird, right? Gouda is probably my fave. I’d <3 to go to Paris one day.

  7. I loved Paris! You did some things that I did not, so now I want to go back. We were only there for a few days. Our trip was part of a two week vacation to Scottland, England, and then a side a trip to Paris. The food was amazing and seeing the tower sparkle was a dream come true. I am so glad you got to go and I hope you get to go back, so you can go for a run along the Seine. I loved my run there more than any other run I have done. At the top of my bucket list now, is to go for a run through Central Park. That will be next year’s trip for my 18th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversay and wishing you a long and happy marriage.

  8. LOVED your pictures – at least you have great pictures even if it wasn’t quite as perfect as you hoped. And it just means you need to go back, healthy!!

    Thanks for the shout-out, too. So very glad my email was useful!

    1. You can bring back cheese! Places will pack it up for you so you can bring it on the plane. (We didn’t, though, which I of course regret now.)

  9. OMG. I was in Paris last week and also frequented La Petit Marquise for pain au chocolat a few mornings!! Seriously the best place to go for breakfast in that area.
    Sorry you are in the midst of a flair, but it sounds like you made the best of the situation. I hope you get to return to Paris soon under better health!

    1. YES, La Petit Marquise! SO YUMMY! If only we had run into each other — that would’ve been amazing! Hope you had a lovely visit!

  10. Ah! We spent a few days in Paris right after Christmas in 2013. It was insane, 4 adukts, 2 senior citizens and 6 kids under the age of 8. I loved it, but wouldn’t recommend doing it the way we did :). I had the most amazing savoury crepe on Rue Claire, and my favourite memory is of using that automatic bathroom, the one that washes down the entire place after each person uses it? Ours was malfunctioning, so my Dad ended up peeing in the sink. Wtf?! I will never forget seeing the Eiffel tore at night from trocadero. I also love Brie, but I like Camembert too.

  11. I lived in Paris for a semester in college! My favorite cheeses are Epoisses and St. Nectaire – the gloopier and stinkier the better – but honestly, the lame American rules on raw milk cheese mean all French cheeses just taste so much better in France. You’ll just have to go back soon!

  12. I hear you on the cheese. I am on the pregnancy diet now and totally texted my husband that I miss brie (and sweet tea…I’m a southerner) more than alcohol!

    I also wanted to comment on the bathrooms. first, I went to grad school in DC and knew I was jaded when I used my researcher id to get in the back door of the Library of Congress to pee. And I would sometimes walk into the Smithsonian just for the bathroom. A friend always thought all cities should have pay toilets like in Europe.

    Also, I am from Charleston, SC, and pride myself on knowing the best restrooms. Some people tease me about it but a friend — who happened to be very pregnant at the time — once publicly thanked me via facebook for sharing my info 🙂

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about ali

I’m the creator of the Ali on the Run blog and the host of the Ali on the Run Show podcast. I’m also a freelance writer and editor, a race announcer, a runner and marathoner, a mom, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (way better than the first one!), and reliving my glory days as a competition dancer in the early 2000s. I’m really happy you’re here.
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